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7) Tournament of Champions

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Tournament of Champions

At Kannon Corp, Kain was busy running a Duel simulation, further testing out his new Number. According to the data, this was one of several simulations today with a win percentage of roughly 75%. The simulation ended shortly afterward with the result displaying as a win. He gained a rough smile, picking up his deck and Extra Deck from the simulator. On the bottom of the deck was his trusty Blue-Eyes White Dragon, while at the bottom of the Extra Deck was his Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon. He reviewed the data one more time before placing both sets of cards back into his Infinity Disk.

He said to himself, “Not too shabby. This new Number of mine has significantly boosted my decks already incredible firepower. Django may regret giving me this Number soon, but on the bright side, at least he’s finally realized that I’m a perfect match with a Number. While I would feel better if the win percentage was 100% without question, considering the fact that Django’s monsters and other cards seem to evolve to satisfy the situation at hand, I guess I’ll take what I can get. At least this time the ratio is more in my favor, so that means my chances of beating Django once and for all is higher than him winning.”

Nicholas then appeared, “Hey, Kain. Still running simulations to test out your new Number and such? How’d it go?”

He turned to the teen, “While I’m not completely satisfied with the results, the computer does seem to calculate that my chances of winning against Django have increased quite a bit. He’s always got some new trick up his sleeve, but this time I’ve done extensive research on him and his past tournaments. Which means that this time I finally have the upperhand and will crush him once and for all in the ultimate Duel between my Prime Photon Dragon and his Utopia. By the way, how is the analysis on Utopia’s forms and those Rank-Up cards going?”

“Well, we’ve figured out that there are at least three different Rank-Up cards. One is Barian’s Force, the card made famous by Lucifer. The second is Limited Barian’s Force, which seems to be a watered-down version of Barian’s Force. It’s safe to say that both Barian’s Force and Limited Barian’s Force came from the same place, which is most likely Lucifer, and leaked into the mainstream some time ago. The last one is Numeron Force, which seems to be the strongest, as well as seems to be one of a kind. As for the detailed analysis of Utopia’s various evolved forms, we’re still working on that. So far we’ve got five forms of Utopia, and according to Django and the others, there is currently six forms. We’ve seen Utopia itself, the three Chaos Numbers: Utopia Ray, Utopia Ray V, Utopia Ray Victory, and the Shining Number: Utopia Prime. Each one of Utopia’s evolved forms comes from a different evolution process. Utopia Ray through regular Chaos Xyz Evolution, Utopia Ray V through Limited Barian’s Force, Utopia Ray Victory through Numeron Force, and Utopia Prime through Shining Xyz Evolution. We’re also still analyzing the different powers of each version of Utopia, so that’ll come in soon enough.”

Kain nodded, “Good, very good. Utopia is definitely the monster I need to defeat first, and then I can focus on Dark Magician, who is also a thorn in my side. As long as I don’t see Django pulling another Destiny Draw stunt like he has in the past, then this time I’ve got him pinned. With this new information, I’ll finally defeat him. But moving on, I have to put my next plan into motion. Lucifer and Number 96 are still on the loose, and although they’ve been quiet ever since the incident in that pocket dimension, that doesn’t mean they’re gone. So I’ve developed a plan to lure at least one of them out into the open to finish them off. The ultimate tournament with an irresistible prize, one that even Lucifer won’t be able to resist trying to sink his claws into. Knowing that snake-in-the-grass, he looks for any opportunity to obtain more power, no matter where the source of it comes from, so my new plan will draw him out. Or at least his little buddy and spawn Number 96. Either way, I know it’ll work in drawing out at least one of them. While I will need Django’s permission to access something in order for this to work, that’s a small task. Now, time to finalize my plans and get them into motion.”

He left the simulation room, Nicholas tailing behind him. He had a confident smirk on his face, seemingly savoring the idea of a possible victory looming ahead.

The next day, Django and Tempest were on another date. Both were roaming the streets of Cyber City, enjoying the day and each other’s company. After walking a little bit more, they decided to stop for some ice cream. Django placed a sundae in front of Tempest, making her smile, while simultaneously placing his own down as well. Tempest’s was a brownie sundae with chocolate soft serve ice cream, hot fudge, marshmallow sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry. Django’s, on the other hand, was a banana split with vanilla, peanut butter, and strawberry soft serve, hot fudge, marshmallow, and peanut butter sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry. Tempest eagerly dove into her sundae while Django ate his more passively.

She said, “A good day for a sundae. And a good day for a date, too. And, for once, we haven’t had it rudely interrupted by unwanted company. How’s your banana split, Django?”

He replied, “Fine, thanks. And you’re right that we haven’t had any rude interruptions this time around, but the date is far from over, so don’t jinx it. There’s still plenty of time for annoyances like Roger and Vanessa to butt in, so don’t encourage the idea, otherwise it may just happen.”

She giggled, “Don’t worry about it. We haven’t heard a peep out of those two since last autumn, so I don’t think we have to worry too much about them. It’s Lucifer or Number 96 that worries me more. But, in any case, you are right about one thing, this date is far from over.” She then gained a sad expression, “I just wish my family could enjoy stuff like this, too. I know I’m not on the best terms with them, but I do still care. Maybe soon the rest of the Elementals will join with the modern world, seeing how I’m not the only example of how easy it is for us to do so. I just hope it happens soon, for I want my race to thrive, not suffer a slow extinction. Do you think they’ll merge soon, Django?”

He nodded, “Yes, I do, Tempest. It may take them some time, but I’m sure they will soon enough. My race needs to come out of the shadows, too. The Psykinoxes, save a few like Vylon and Maxwell, are lurking in some sort of underground location due to the distrust between them and humans. All thanks to Lucifer’s coup. If that had never happened, then my race would still be able to enjoy their lives, just like we are right now. I just hope that Lucifer’s treachery will be revealed to the other Psykinoxes soon, otherwise that distrust will cause the rift between the two races to grow bigger. And I still have my mission to worry about, too. If I’m to find a way to unite all three races once and for all, then I have to find a way to expose the truth and repair the rifts between all three races. I just hope I’m up to the job.”

“You are, Django, I know it. You united the gang, and we’re all different races. You just need to make a bigger version of our little group, that’s all. I know you can do it. Unlike the Elementals, who don’t seem to realize what’s really good for them, the Psykinoxes are much smarter, so they’ll see the truth soon. But enough of this depressing talk, let’s finish our sundaes and get on with this day.”

Suddenly, Django’s Infinity Disk started beeping. Curious, he took it out and activated it. Some sort of message appeared onscreen.

He read aloud, “Elite Duelists, come to Station Square at 5 PM tonight. A special event will be announced there. Be on time, or you’ll miss out on the chance for glory. That’s 5 PM tonight, so don’t be late. Signed, anonymous.” He turned to his girlfriend, “What do you suppose this is all about?”

Tempest looked at him, “I don’t know. Some sort of special event I guess. But what that event will be and who’s hosting it is the question. I guess we should check it out. Judging by the message, I’m guessing it has to do with Duel Monsters. Maybe it’s a tournament? So 5 PM at Station Square. According to your Infinity Disk, it’s 3 PM now. So we might as well finish up our date and go check it out in a little bit.”

Just then the Infinity Disk beeped again. They looked to see another message appear.

Django read, “Django Spirit, expect a video call tonight. You’d better pick it up, as it will be important and will require your immediate attention. Expect the call at 7 PM and no later. See you then.” He turned back to Tempest, “What do you suppose THIS is about? What kind of video call would be this important? Does it have something to do with the event being announced this evening?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure, though. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. So let’s finish our ice cream, do a bit more on our date, then head to Station Square before 5 PM. Maybe then we’ll get some answers.”

Nodding, the two returned their attention to their sundaes, finished eating them, and continued their date. Little did they know that two familiar pairs of eyes and ears were nearby, having heard everything, one of which was fuming to see them together. The two shadowy individuals then slinked away.

A little while later Django and Tempest approached Station Square. It was just a few minutes before 5 PM. As they entered the area, they saw several people gathered about; all of them seemed to be here for the exact same reason.

Tempest observed, "Guess that message went out to a lot of people. But I'm surprised that Cody and the others aren't here. I thought for sure that they might have gotten the same message. Guess not. Guess we have something to tell them later." She turned to Django, "We still don't know what we're here for, exactly. I'm guessing it's some sort of tournament, but that's about it. Any ideas?"

Django replied, "Like you said, it's probably a tournament, as the message mentioned elite Duelists. But since we don't know who's throwing this tournament, if that is the case, then I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Just then a voice said, "Django! Tempest!"

They turned to see Draco jog up to them. He was in a different attire than usual. It consisted of black jeans with a matching sleeveless shirt, along with a black and red dragon button-down shirt worn completely open, black fingerless gloves, red Converse shoes, and a fedora with Red-Eyes on it. He was also be wearing a pendant that depicts a 2 dragons wrapped around a sword and a single dangling dragon earring.

Django said, "Hey, Draco, long time no see. New outfit?"

Draco tilted his fedora down slightly, smiling confidently, "Yeah, figured now that I'm more settled, I'd switch to my more causal clothes."

Tempest smiled, "You look quite handsome in those. They fit your style perfectly. You could slay the ladies in those threads."

Draco's entire face turned red, eyes wide, quickly turning away to hide his flushed face. This confused Tempest, quirking an eyebrow at his reaction.

"Uh… Draco? You okay?"

He replied hastily, "Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Don’t worry about me. It's no big deal." After managing to collect himself he turned back to the duo, "So I take it you got an anonymous message, too?"

Django nodded, "Yes, and it told us to come to Station Square tonight. I take it you got the message, too? But we still don't know who it's from or what it's about. We suspect some sort of tournament, judging by the wording, but that's about it. Any ideas?"

The dragon master replied, "No, I pretty much figured the same as you. All I know is that it's probably some big tournament, but that's about it. However, there is a buzz going around that I've noticed. Some people suspect whatever we're here for is being hosted by a guy with a load of cash and an arrogant attitude the size of the moon. I'm guessing Kain. But that's just my thoughts on the rumors floating around."

Tempest shrugged, "While it makes sense that Kain would be behind this, we can't be sure just yet. So, for now, we'll just have to wait and see."

Django observed, "Speaking of attitudes, I'm seeing a few too familiar faces in this crowd."

Draco nodded, "Me too, and many of which I'm not too happy to see."

Tempest then noticed something, groaning in disgust, "Ugh, you're right. I see Roger Dodger and Vanessa Ruby over there. And here I thought we were done with those two dimwits. What are they doing here? They're hardly 'elite', as they have the worst Dueling record of anyone."

Django gestured to their left, "Over there I see Cho Wu. She's the Asian Duel Monsters Champion. She's both a Duelist and a martial art master, along with being bit of a whiner. And I also see Violet Gaia, the Swedish Duel Monsters Champion, as well as a self-proclaimed child genius at the age of 13. They say she's got a bit of a bad temper and is quite full of herself. I should know, I Dueled her a few years back in another tournament. I won and she stormed off the field like a child, though, then again, she is a child. But, compared to others of her age, like Leo and Fiona, she's very immature."

Draco then pointed ahead of them, "And over there I see Onyx Hunter. He's got quite the win record in many tournaments, having been dubbed the 'Crystal Crocodile' due to his deck type and his razor sharp mouth, in more ways than one. Though you probably already know that, as I heard you Dueled him once before, giving him one of his few losses in his professional career. He's a tough nut to crack, but he does have ample amounts of skill to go with it, so even heavy hitters like us may want to tread carefully around him."

Tempest snarled, "I also see Samuel Suave here. That pompous jerk tried to woo me when Django and I were out on the town once. I gave him what for. No one talks down to me like that or treats me like a pretty decoration and gets away with it. If he tries that again, he's on the next flight to the moon!"

Draco recoiled at Tempest's fierce temper, thinking, "She's a babe, that's for sure, but she can be outright scary when angered. And to my understanding, Elementals are more of a cowardly race, according to Master Noble. She's definitely the polar opposite of that description, that's for sure."

Django said, "With all these high-ranked players, well, except for Vanessa and Roger, plus if Draco's theory is true, then this setup will have one new wrinkle."

The Wind Mistress looked up, "And there he is now."

They all looked up to see Kain on the big holo-screens, changing from whatever was there before to his mug all over the area.

Kain said, "Greetings Duelists. Welcome to Cyber City. But more importantly, welcome to my tournament."

Draco said sourly, "I don't know what's bigger: his over-inflated ego or his melon on the jumbo-sized holo-screens."

The inventor said, "Let's hear what he has to say."

Kain stated, "I see that you all received your private invite to Kannon Corp's exclusive tournament: the Cyber Clash Battle City Tournament, and you had the guts to come here today. Being that you're all elite Duelists, I've added a few new rules to my tournament. For starters, you all must run at least above-average quality decks with at least three cards that have a value of Ultra Rare and up. The reason behind that is because this tournament will have a new, interesting twist. At the start of each Duel, players must ante up their rarest card. The winner of the Duel will obtain every card wagered, so the loser is required to fork it over without complaint."

Django growled, "Forfeit cards like my Dark Magician!?"

Draco grumbled, "That means losing a single Duel could wreck the hard work I put into my deck."

Kain continued, "This is just the first of many twists Cyber Clash will have for you. In order for you to register for my tournament you must use your D-Pad's touchscreen to input your name, address, and top three rarest cards of your deck, to Kannon Corp's computer database via the Spirit Tech satellite system. After you do that, insert your deck into your D-Pad and as many regular Extra Deck monsters that you have into the system. Your D-Pad will then scan your deck to help determine a ranking. Also, your past Dueling record will be calculated into your final rank, as all D-Pads connected to Spirit Tech's satellite system will have your past records on it. Even if you used other systems in the past, such as the past Duel Disks, Spirit Tech's records will have it recorded, so that'll help determine your final rank. This ranking will let you know if you're qualified to partake in my tournament. If the ranking, displayed as the same stars that a monster's Level has, is lower then four, then you don't qualify, end of story. My tournament will make all the others look like a bad joke."

Suddenly the wind picked up and a loud mechanical hum could be heard. They all turned around to see Kain standing on one of his copters as it lowered itself to just below the tops of most of the city's buildings.

Django stated, "Kain!"

Kain said silently, "I knew you'd come, Django." He then said loudly, "Don't forget to register because in one week from Friday, my tournament begins!" He then said to himself, "And I'll be having a little chat with you shortly, Django, so get home soon so you can be on time for our little conversation."

The copter then flew up and headed back to Kannon Corp, leaving everyone still standing at Station Square.

Tempest turned to Django, "At least now we know who's gonna call you later tonight, Django. We better go home and await the video call that Kain will grace us with."

Django rolled his eyes, "The only thing that Kain will grace is his own ego. But you're right. Now that we know what's going on, we better get going." He turned to Draco, "I guess we'll be seeing you at the tournament next Friday. Keep your wits about you, though, as I doubt this tournament is just for glory and a few good cards. For all we know, it may even be a Number Hunt. So keep your wits about you. We'll see you then."

The duo started to make their way back, leaving Draco to ponder what transpired. What they didn't know was that a shadowy figure was lurking on a rooftop before vanishing quickly. A little while later, Lucifer was sitting on a different throne in another location, surrounded by several men wearing cloaks, each with the Barian Emblem on them. The shadowy figure then appeared and transformed, revealing himself to be Number 96.

Lucifer turned to him, "What have you discovered, Number 96?"

The dark Number replied, "It would appear that the rich ego boy Kain is holding a tournament in the streets of Cyber City. He calls it the Cyber Clash Battle City Tournament. It'll have several of the most elite Duelists there, and in order to register, you need at least three high-value cards. Those cards are then wagered and the winner takes all. There is probably more than that, but that's what's been revealed so far. It'll take place next Friday. I also overheard Django talking. It may be an attempt to hunt down any remaining Numbers. And even if that isn't the case, it will be full of rare cards for the taking. What do you say, Lucifer?"

Lucifer chuckled darkly, "Cyber Clash, 'ey? How very convenient for us that so many of our targets will be gathered in one place. This will be a treasure trove of rare cards for use to collect. And, since Django and his little pack of pals will be in it as well, it's a golden opportunity to take their Numbers, as well as eliminate them once and for all. While I feel that it may also be a trap, at the same time, we can't resist the chance to humiliate, crush, and rob so many big-shots all in one place. Trap or not, I say we go for it. Now my Shadow Stalkers, go to Cyber City at once. It's time to stalk our prey and begin the hunt! As for you, Number 96, I want you to enter as well. You'll need to change your identity first, but with your shapeshifting ability, that should be a simple task. Make sure you have lots of fun, but don't go after Django or his little buddies right away. We'll wait for the right moment to strike them all down at once, so, for now, enter to have a bit of fun, terrorizing all those pathetic creatures called Duelists."

Number 96 gained a demented sneer, "Sounds like a blast. I can't wait to strike fear into all those pathetic cockroaches. Count me in. As long as I can make my prey suffer, then I'm in."

Lucifer chuckled darkly, "Excellent, just what I wanted to hear. Now, Shadow Stalkers, prepare your decks and hack into Kannon Corp's databanks so you can enter to claim all those juicy prizes for us without bothering to register officially. There is obviously more than just rare cards being wagered, so make sure you get all the needed equipment for this tournament. I don't want any screw-ups, or there will be punishment. Is that clear?"

The men in cloaks all replied, "Yes, master, right away."

"Good, glad we have an understanding. When that task is done, I will outfit you all with a little something extra that will help in our little mission. So prepare yourselves to crush our enemies and rob them blind by the hands of the game they love so much. It's time to begin the hunt!" As they walked away, he then turned to Number 96, "Number 96, my most trusted ally, I have something for you. Some new cards that were collected recently. I want you to use them to enhance your deck. While your deck is quite solid, it hasn't won one Duel yet. I know what you're going to say, you did have a Draw with Django, but a Draw is neither a win nor a loss. So use this collection of cards to bolster your firepower, as I want you to enjoy breaking these weak cockroaches down like the bugs they are. Use them and not even Django will have the power to defeat you."

Number 96 replied, "Very well. I guess I could use more firepower. And I'm always up for an opportunity to slowly torture my prey. So let's see them, as this sounds like a lot of fun. Well, fun for me, not so much for those losers."

Lucifer led Number 96 to a secret room under his throne, full of stolen, high-value, extremely rare Duel Monsters cards. Number 96 gained a twisted grin, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

He snickered, "Oh, yeah, this'll do nicely. Django, watch yourself, as I'm about to end your Dueling career once and for all!"

Meanwhile, elsewhere, back in the underground city, a cloaked man was walking back down from Lucifer's empty throne. He entered a large building, where five other cloaked individuals were.

One, a massive, burly male, asked, "Avalon, I take it Lucifer isn't around?"

Avalon replied, "No, Claymore, and that will work to our advantage. Over the past year I've noticed some things about him. He seems desperate to destroy a Psykinox that still exists on the surface world. Also, I've noticed that Vylon's family and Maxwell's family are now labeled as traitors to the race, as least, according to Lucifer. I know Vylon and Maxwell; they would never betray the race, so there must be more to it than that."

Another cloaked Psykinox, the only female in the group, asked in a smooth, cold voice, "Well if you have a theory I'm sure we'd all like to hear it. I've never trusted that Bloodlust sludge, so if he's up to something, we have to figure out what."

Avalon replied, "I have a theory, Zweite, and I'm hoping it's true. The Psykinox Lucifer seems to be desperate to destroy may be… a Spirit."

Another Psykinox, about the same height as Zweite, said in a fiery tone, "A Spirit!? Can it be true? Then we must find this Psykinox at once! I can't stand Lucifer one minute more! And I can't stand being stuck down here anymore either! If it is a Spirit, then I would do anything to give Lucifer a flaming KO punch!"

Avalon stated, "Calm down, Infernox, don't get so worked up. I didn't say for sure if Lucifer's target is a Spirit or not, but that seems to be the most likely case. I've also taken note to where Lucifer has been going and secretly checking out the crystals he's been using. This Psykinox seems to be in a place called Cyber City."

Another cloaked member, a male, who replied in a low, rippling whisper voice, asked, "Cyber City? Wasn't that the dwelling place of our former leader? Where Astral and Elna, along with several Sprit families, lived?"

"Yes, that is correct, Dagger. Cyber City is the very same place where Astral and Elna had their family, along with several other members of the Spirit family. While, regrettably, they perished, I've been suspecting that at least one Spirit is still alive, as the Power of Numeron is still going strong. And, as of recent months, the energy levels for Numeron have gotten stronger, so that further confirms my suspicions."

The last member, a slender and tall male, responded in a deep, rippling voice, "Then we must investigate at once. If Lucifer isn't here right now, he may be trying to find a way to bump off this Spirit right now. We must head for Cyber City and begin our search."

Avalon held out a hand, "Hold it, Shadark, don't be so quick. I recently got wind through one of Lucifer's crystals that in a week's time a tournament will be going on in Cyber City. I say that's the perfect time to see for ourselves if a Spirit is still alive or not. With all the different Duels taking place, it'll keep Lucifer's attention busy, so we can investigate without him knowing it. So just sit tight for a little bit, as we'll get our opportunity soon. For now, let us prepare our cards, as the only way to confirm a Spirit is seeing their skills in a Duel." He then said silently, "Watch yourself, Lucifer. We're on to your game, and we're about to shut it down. I just hope that the Spirit we're trying to find is the very Spirit that can lead us to a better future. The son of one of our greatest leaders… Django."

Next Chapter: Disastrous Drawing
Kain is putting his latest plan into motion. The ultimate tournament with the ultimate prize: Cyber Clash Battle City. However, he has other motives for his little plan. Lucifer gets wind of this tournament and sends his newest minions, the Shadow Stalkers, and Number 96, to enter and, most of all, have "fun". But it would appear that Kain and Lucifer aren't the only ones putting plans into motion. Who are these other six Psykinoxes that plot against Lucifer? We shall see.
© 2015 - 2024 FangbladeOmega
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ARTgazer12's avatar
This is pretty cool